Nov 01, 2013

Company / Blog Posts

10 Million End-of-life Home Appliances Recycled

Panasonic Eco Technology Center Co., Ltd. (PETEC) located in Kato City, Hyogo Prefecture in Japan, has been recycling end-of-life home appliances since 2001. On October 15, 2013, a ceremony was held to celebrate the 10-millionth product it has recycled.

To transform "products to products," PETEC begun operation in April 2001, around the same time the Home Appliance Recycling Act was enacted. Since then, it has recycled 4 types of products - end-of-life TVs, air conditioners, washer dryers, and refrigerators - into high purity materials such as metals, resins, and glass. Since the very beginning, PETEC has valued its ties to the local community and welcomed many children to its facility to help them learn about the environment. A research and development division was also set up to create designs that are more recycling friendly. These activities of PETEC lie at the center of Panasonic Group's recycling initiative.

  • Panasonic Initiatives for Resources Recycling

Since it began operation, PETEC has retrieved 154,000 tons of steel, 24,000 tons of copper, and 14,000 tons of aluminum. And during this time, it has also reexamined the recycling lines to accommodate for the changes in the product mix. For example, PETEC modified the processing line for refrigerators to adapt to the increase in CFC-free refrigerators and enhanced its TV processing capability to recycle flat screen TVs. Moreover, it has developed and applied top caliber recycling technologies like the high-precision resin selection system to sort plastics and technology to recover neodymium magnets from air conditioner outdoor units. PETEC will continue its recycling efforts as part of Panasonic Group's eco business.

  • 01_petec201310.jpg
    Recycling Washing Machines
  • 02_petec201310.jpg
    Recycling Air Conditioners

PETEC Overview

Established April 4, 2000
Began Operation April 1, 2001
Capital 400 million yen (100% subsidiary of Panasonic)
President Kazuyuki Tomita
Employees 175
Products Recycled 760,000 units (as of 2012)
Homepage http://panasonic.net/eco/petec
  • 05_petec201310.jpg
    Memorial Tree Planting
  • 06_petec201310.jpg
    Plant Tour of Elementary School Students

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